Dispute Settlement Body

The General Council convenes as the Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) to deal with disputes between WTO members. Such disputes may arise with respect to any agreement contained in the Final Act of the Uruguay Round that is subject to the Understanding on Rules and Procedures Governing the Settlement of Disputes (DSU). The DSB has authority to establish dispute settlement panels, refer matters to arbitration, adopt panel, Appellate Body and arbitration reports, maintain surveillance over the implementation of recommendations and rulings contained in such reports, and authorize suspension of concessions in the event of non-compliance with those recommendations and rulings.

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The DSB is made up of all member governments, usually represented by ambassadors or equivalent. The current chair is .

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DSB documents use the code WT/DSB/* (where * takes additional values)
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  • Minutes of Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) meetings (Document code WT/DSB/M/*)
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  • Annual reports of the DSB (document code WT/DSB/* and keyword “Annual report”)  > search
  • Annual overview of the state of play of WTO disputes
    Addendum to the DSB annual report. Reflects the state of play of WTO disputes from 1 January 1995 to a given date each year. In table format, allowing the reader to identify the main stages of the dispute settlement process relating to each case and the relevant documents issued. (document code WT/DSB/* and keyword “Overview of the State of Play of WTO Disputes”)  > search

> See also: cases update, above 

 

Reflections from outgoing Chairs on DSB developments:

DSB meetings